By Arabella Loring
- Marrying a man so that he can produce a legitimate heir to carry on his bloodline is preposterous. I am not now—nor will I ever be—breeding stock.
- The Marriage Mart is similarly ludicrous. When one reduces the balls and other social occasions of The Season to the core of their existence, they bring to mind a showing of livestock for breeders.
- Men are such fools. The intrinsic worth of a woman does not diminish as her years advance. Having been described as “long in the tooth” (trust me, my dears, twenty-four is not an advanced age), I confess an ardent desire to relieve any gentlemen ofhis instruments for chewing who judges a woman’s marriageability in relation to age.
- Far too often an arranged marriage does breed one thing—misery. I, for one, do not wish to waste precious years of my life in the company of a rogue in the guise of a nobleman.
- I am perfectly capable of earning an income sufficient for my needs—and perfectly capable of spending it as I see fit.
- I have no desire to be under the thumb of any man. Under the total being of a man, perhaps, without the thumb.
- I do not wish to burden myself with the arduous task of relieving a husband of the illusion that he can dictate to me.
- If I were to wed, by law my husband would become my “lord and master,” and I would legally be his possession. His possession. No man will ever rule me like that.
- All is not fair in love and war. Men possess the upper hand, so to speak, but, ah, my friends, we ladies possess cunning, subterfuge, trickery, and some physical attributes which we cleverly learn to use to our advantage.
- If I marry, there will be one man in my life. What if I want two?
So, my dears, what do you see as the advantages of remaining single? And, of course, I will entertain dissenting opinions . . .